Striking a perfect chord

Tango enthusiasts stay in step taking lessons in Dania Beach.

After dark, midweek in Dania Beach's downtown district, most of the businesses are shuttered and the sidewalks show few signs of life.

But lights are shining from the windows of the Grace Cafe and Galleries. The second floor of the building has become tango central for students from Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

The sessions fulfill original plans by Clare Vickery, who said she envisioned creating a space for dancing when she opened the gallery-cafe at 49 N. Federal Highway three years ago. Classes began this fall, after a woman recommended the spot to her teacher, Horacio Treger, an Argentine-born tango instructor from Miami, Vickery said.

Vickery has turned the upstairs gallery into a dance studio, with large, ornate framed mirrors lined against the walls. She welcomes the sight of couples moving about the wood floors to the strains of bandoneM-sn, an Argentine folk instrument that gives the tango music its sultry sound.

The classes have inspired Vickery to offer weekend workshops revolving around the tango and other folkloric dances that originated in Argentina.

The gallery has been embraced by many devotees, including Collado, who said she finds the atmosphere both enticing and enhancing.

"It has the best energy," Collado said. "I love dancing there."

Born in New York to Dominican parents, Collado became hooked on tango 12 years ago while attending college in Chicago. "I began taking classes and it struck a chord with me," she said. "It forces you to connect to another human being in a very intense way."

Her sessions on Thursdays number between 15 and 19 students. Instruction is from 8 to 9:15 p.m., followed by more dancing until 11 p.m. Cost is $15 per week. Newcomers are welcome to watch, at no charge, she said.

Indeed, Collado and Treger each attract a diverse following. Debbie Keneipp, of Fort Lauderdale, a self-described Puerto Rican transplant from Brooklyn, N.Y., said the gallery has brought the classes closer to home. She previously was traveling to Miami.

"This is great," said Keneipp, an appraiser's assistant. "It's much more convenient."

Carol Werner, of Pompano Beach, a hospital case manager, said she fell in love with the tango on a trip to Argentina five years ago. She hasn't stopped dancing since.

"It's a passion," Werner said.

Gary Mayer, of Plantation, was introduced to the art form last year by a friend. "You must move in unison with your partner," said Mayer, a Cuban-born optometrist with a practice in Lauderhill. "It's a close embrace, like one body with four legs."

Mayer's done ballroom dancing. But he's found tango has a benefit most of the other styles lack.

"It's easier on the knees," Mayer said.

For information on tango classes and other events, go to www.gracecafeandgalleries.com or call the Grace Cafe and Galleries, 954-921-1231.